Hyderabad (India)
Encyclopedia : H : HY : HYD : Hyderabad (India)
Hyderabad [pronunciation] or Haydarābād (Telugu:హైదరాబాదు Urdu:حیدر آباد) is the of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its is in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. With more than 6 million people (60 lakh), it is India's 5th largest metropolis and the 40th largest metropolitan area in the world. It is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique characteristic of a meeting point for north and south India, and its multi lingual culture, both geographically and culturally. Hyderabad is a place where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed for centuries. The dialect spoken in Hyderabad and surrounding areas of Telangana is distinct from the dialect of coastal Andhra region. Hyderabad and rest of the Telangana has unique culture of its own in comparison to coastal and rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is also one of the most developed cities in the country and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are twin cities, separated by Husain Sagar (also known as Tank Bund), an artificial lake constructed during the time of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in 1562. The Charminar (Urdu: "Four Minars") monument, built in the center of Hyderabad by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 as a commemoration of the eradication of a plague.
History
Hyderabad was founded on the banks of Musi river in the present day Telangana by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, Sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, in 1590; this relocation was intended to relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golkonda. They ruled over the Telangana region and some parts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Hyderabad's name differ. A popular theory suggests that, after founding the city, Muhammad Quli fell in love with and married a local Banjara girl known as Bhagamathi. He named this city after her as Bhagyanagaram. Upon her conversion to Islam, Bhagamathi changed her name to Hyder Mahal — the new city's name was correspondingly changed to match it, resulting in the eponymous name "Hyderabad" (literally, "the city of Hyder"). Another theory states that the city got its name from the fourth Caliph of Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who is also known as Haydar-i Karrar ("valiant lion"), probably, due to the Qutb Shahi rulers' leanings towards the Shi'i traditions of Islam.
In 1687, Hyderabad and the Golkonda fort was besieged and conquered by forces under the ruler of the Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb (alternatively known as Alamgir I). This event led to fall of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty and the abandonment of the Golconda fort. Thereafter, a succession of regents called the Nizams governed the city first as agents of the Mughals and then as an independent princely state. Nizams Hyderabad was the largest and the richest Princely state in British India.In the 18th century as a British cantonment was set up close to Hyderabad, this new township was named Secunderabad.
When India gained independence in 1947, the Nizam declared his intention to remain independent, either as a sovereign ruler or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire. In order to keep essential trade and supplies flowing, he signed a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union which surrounded him on all sides. The law and order situation soon deteriorated, with escalating violence between the private Razakar army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule and the communists of Telangana fighting for entrance into the Indian Union. As the violence spiraled out of control with refugees flowing into the coastal Andhra region of the Madras state of India, the Indian Government under Home Minister Sardar Patel initiated a police action titled Operation Polo. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, Hyderabad was overtaken after five days of police action. The Nizam signed, under threat of force, the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union and Hyderabad was integrated into the Indian Union as a state. The state got its first democractic government and the representatives of its 18 million people were admitted to the Constituent Assembly then drafting a constitution for free India. For the next eight years, Hyderabad continued as a separate state within the union.
On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. Consequently, the terrorities of the State of Hyderabad were divided between newly created Andhra Pradesh, Bombay state (later Maharashtra), and Karnataka. Hyderabad and the surrounding areas were added to Andhra Pradesh based on Telugu linguistic majority, and Hyderabad became the capital of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.
Economy
Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes and pearl ornaments. The pearl market is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or General Bazaar Market. Products such as silverware, Saris, Nirmal and Kalamkari paintings and artifacts, unique Bidri handcrafted items, lacquer bangles studded with stones, silk-ware, cotton-ware and handloom based clothing materials are made and traded through the city for centuries.Hyderabad is known for its academic institutes and research labs, both public and private institutes with very diverse areas of interest from Developmental Banking at the Institute for Development in Research and Banking Technology, to eye care with state-of-the art medical facilities at the L. V. Prasad Eye Institute. The infrastructural facilities for basic research in Hyderabad are among the best in the country, hosting a large academic population from all over the country and beyond.
Hyderabad is a major center for pharmaceuticals with companies such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited and vimta labs being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.
Hyderabad is also a major centre for Art and some leading painters have been Asocaited with Hyderabad - [M F Hussain], Vaikutam, K V Sridhar (Pops),Laxma Goud, and Jagdish Mittal (world renowned Art Colector in India Modern Art).
Amaravathi Treasure Art under the agies of Kishan Chander Agarwal and Venkatakrishna Kunduru would bring Art of Hyderabad across the world by what Hyderabad stands for Art. Some of the upcoming projects include:
- Genome Valley, Hyderabad, India - a biotech cluster setup near the city to provide world-class facilities to over 100 biotech companies. It is a 200 acre Knowledge Park(KP) which is a joint initiative of the ICICI Bank and the Andhra Pradesh government.
- Nanotechnology Park, Hyderabad, India - The Nanotechnology park is a 350-acre (140-hectare) hardware technology park, near the new International Airport, Shamshabad, in Andhra Pradesh.
IT Industry
Hyderabad city is today known for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries. Many call centers, Business process outsourcing(BPO) firms, dealing with IT and other technological services were set up in the 1990s making it one of the major regions for call center setups in India. Ramoji Film City, one of the largest film studios in the world is located on the outskirts of the city.
The development of a township with state-of-the-art facilities called HITEC City, prompted several IT and ITES companies to setup operations in the city. An aggressive promotion of growth in this area has led civic boosters to call the city "Cyberabad". Hyderabad has also been referred to as the second Silicon Valley of India. IT exports from the city are expected to exceed Rs 12,500 crores ($ 2.5 billion) in the 2005-06 fiscal year. There have been extensive investments in digital infrastructure within the city promoting the setting up of several campuses by a vast array of companies within the city. This list includes several multinational corporations having established centres in the city. The major areas where such campuses have been setup include Madhapur and Gachibowli.
Hyderabad has been the front runner in terms of attracting huge investments from Fortune 500 Companies. Hyderabad is poised to become a global city after the city has clinched Semiconductor Fab deals from Intellect Inc, Semindia. Hyderabad has been selected as the location for India's first Fab City, a silicon chip manufacturing facility, being setup with an investment of $3 billion by the AMD-SemIndia consortium.
Education
Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in southern India. The City hosts two Central Universities, two Deemed universities, and six State Universities. Osmania University is one of the oldest Universities in India. Famous institutes for technical education such as College of Engineering, College of Technology of Osmania University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Nizam College, Mufakhkham Jah College of Engineering and Technology,Sree Nidhi Institute Of Science And Technology, Chaitanya Bharathi Instiute of Technology, Maturi Venkata Subba Rao College of Engineering and Technology, Vasavi College of Engineering, International Institute of Information Technology, and famous medical colleges like Osmania Medical College and Gandhi Medical College are located here. Also based here is the highly acclaimed Indian School of Business and the National Academy of Legal Studies & Research (NALSAR), University of Law. Hyderabad is famous for its various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Hyderabad, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centre for DNA finger printing and diagnostics (CDFD), National Institute of Nutrition and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University. It is also the home of Mawlana Azad National Urdu University as well as BR Ambedkar Open University, an Institution designed to promulgate the Distance Education. The city therefore attracts students from all over the country and some beyond, especially from the Africa and other Arab nations. Apart from these Premier Technology Institute National Institute Of Technology, Warangal is 3hrs drive from Hyderabad.
Research institutions and labs
Defence Research and Development Organisatio (DRDO) had setup Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) in 1962, to work on the design and development of communication and radar systems. Currently DLRL is involved in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of DRDO.The other defence research laboratories at Hyderabad include
- Advanced Numerical Research & Analysis Group (ANURAG),
- Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL),
- Advanced System Laboratory (ASL), and
- Research Center Imarat (RCI)
- National Remote Sensing Agency, India's Satellite Monitoring Station.
- Centre for DNA finger printing and diagnostics(CDFD)
Civic administration
-->The city is administered by Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) [link], whose titular head is the Mayor who has few executive powers. The real executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Andhra Pradesh state government. The MCH is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis. Hyderabad is divided into hundred municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator. The corporators of the administration are voted through a popular vote and almost all the field their candidates.
The city is composed of one district in Andhra Pradesh, it comes under the jurisprudence of the District Collector. The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They oversee the national elections held in the city. The metropolitan area encompasses the Ranga Reddy District, which was carved out of an earlier unified Hyderabad district.
Like other metropolises in India, the Hyderabad Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. The Hyderabad Police comes under the state Home Ministry. Hyderabad is divided into five police zones each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Hyderabad Police. Hyderabad is the seat of the State High Court, which has under the State's jurisdiction. Hyderabad has two lower courts, such as the Small Causes Court, for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.
Hyderabad contributes two seats to the Lok Sabha (Lower House). In addition, parts of the city are part of two other electoral districts for the Lok Sabha. Hyderabad elects thirteen representatives to the State's Legislative Assembly.
It must be noted that, officially, the Indian government recognises Hyderabad as a of India and has given the metropolitan status to only . There is a pending demand to upgrade Hyderabad and Bangalore to Metropolitan status as they both meet the criteria to be declared so.
Transportation
Airports
Hyderabad is well connected to all parts of the country and world by air. Hyderabad city has had an airport since the 1930s at Begumpet. This airport provides two terminals, for domestic and international travels. The airport provides flights to all major destinations in India, as well as connections to locations in Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas and Sri Lanka with non stop flights to and from many cities in these areas. As the demand for air travel has grown in recent years, like most major airports in the country, the Begumpet airport now suffers from overcrowding, this has led to major problems, especially in the domestic terminal, and conditions are cramped, unattractive, and sometimes unsanitary.-->To meet the growing demands of the city a project to build a much bigger and state-of-art Airport is underway at Shamshabad, which lies on the outskirts of the city. The new airport, once completed, will be able to provide much needed infrastructure to handle large aircraft, and international traffic. The airport is expected to be one of the best in this region and will house world-class facilities. The airport is being developed to cater to a total of 7 million passengers a year and will in the final stage be able to cater to 40 million passengers a year. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,330 crore. The airport will be built on an area of 5,400 acres and will have the longest runway among Indian airports and will be able to handle the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. The work on the flyover linking Mehdipatnam to the Shamshabad Airport has started, and it is expected to be one of the biggest projects undertaken by Hyderabad Urban Development Association, also known widely as HUDA.
Rails
Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the MultiModal Transport System (MMTS)
([MMTS Photo feature]). The MMTS connects various parts of the city with Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally and Faluknama. Hyderabad is currently scheduled to get a Metro system to help ease urban congestion. Nationally too, Hyderabad and especially Secunderabad is considered as one of the important railway cities. The South Central Railway headquarters is located at Secunderabad.
TheThere are three main Railway Stations Secundrabad Railway Station (Which recently got ISO9002 Certification). Hyderabad Railway Station (Nampally). Kachiguda Railway Station. Lot of Development has come up at Kachiguda Railway Station like extension of Platform, Starting point of many Trains like Kachiguda-Bangalore, Kachiguda-Tirupathi etc. to divert the traffic flow from Secundrabad. -BMKS
Roads
Hyderabad is well connected to many other locations in India, such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Guntur, Nagpur, Warangal, Pune, and Vijaywada, either through directly or through intermediary locations. The highway (express way) network linking Hyderabad to various parts of the country is very good. Indian National Highways, NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202 pass through the city. The city shall also be part of the North-South Corridor.Being in the heart of Telangana it is very well connected to all the towns and cities of the region.
The city has also one of the best laid out internal road systems. A series of flyovers decrease the traffic congestion in the city. Many of the important roads are 3-lane on either side. Due to the burgeoning number of personal vehicles, the city is beginning to face traffic problems. As a measure to ease this, the city plan calls for an inner ring road going around Hyderabad within the city limits and a yet to be constructed, but planned, outer ring road outside the city limits. These ring roads are expected to ease the traffic congestion by a lot inside the city since most heavy vehicles which pass through the city on the national highways can now bypass the city using them.
However, as in most in Indian cities, due to increasing number of vehicles, the city traffic has grown leading to chaotic traffic snarls and a lack of perceptible lane discipline. Driving has become a stressful experience for vehicle owners. Accidents are on the rise especially with two wheelers and Auto-ricksaws.
Alternative Transportation
The city is also linked to various parts by an efficient mass rapid transit, MRT system, which help commuters reach their destination quickly and comfortably. To get a true feel of the city you could also try out the 3-seater and 7-seater autos. Comfortable air-conditioned cabs are also available just a phone call away.Bus Service
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation ([APSRTC official web site]) established in 1932 started as a unit of the Nizam State Railways-Road Transport Division with 27 buses. It consists of about 19,000 strong bus fleet; APSRTC is the largest state transport undertaking in the world and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.The APSRTC operates point to point bus services which connect important places within the city, with a very good frequency. APSRTC has several kinds of services like the
- Veera,
- Metro Express and an
- Ordinary service.
Hyderabad has several major bus stations
- Jubilee Bus Station
- Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, also referred to as Imlibun Station, after the area in which it is located [considered to be the largest in India and one of the largest in India]
- Afzalgunj Bus Station
- Secunderabad Bus Station
- Dilsukhnagar Bus Station
Demographics
-->The city population is estimated at over 3.69 million in 2001 while the population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at over 6.39 million. Religiously and culturally, the city is evenly divided between Muslims and Hindus which includes a visible population of Christians. Languages spoken include Telugu, Urdu and Hindi. There is also a very visible population of people, of tribal origins, who have immigrated to the city in search of work. These people, called the Banjaras, have their own distinct culture and language very different from other languages spoken in this region.
Telugu, Urdu and Deccani are the local languages of the indigenous population. There is a significant amount of English used in business. People from many other parts of India have adopted Hyderabad as their hometown.
Geography and Climate
Hyderabad city is located in the center of Andhra Pradesh, in the region of Telangana. It lies on the Deccan Plateau, 541 meters (1776 ft) above sea level, over an area of 260 km² (100 mile²).The original city of Hyderabad was founded on the banks of river Musi. Now known as the historic old city, home to the Charminar and Makkah Masjid, it lies on the southern bank of the river. The city has grown over the centuries on both banks and is now a metropolitan area that spreads out from the Musi river.
- Annual temperature = 25 - 45 degrees Celsius.
- Annual precipitation = about 60 cm.
- Geological system = Archean.
- Soil = Red Sandy, with areas of Black Cotton soil.
- Surrounding terrain = Rocky/hilly. The region around Hyderabad is known for its beautiful rock formations. There are many rock formation enthusiasts in the city.
- Climatic region = Tropical Wet and Dry (Koppen).
Culture
Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. The Muslim culture of Hyderabad has fused with south Indian traditions of the region.
Hyderabad is a unique cosmopolitan city and home to people practicing Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism. Hyderabadis have developed their own distinctive culture, which is a mixture of the centuries old Islamic Culture and the Hindu traditions of the Telugu people.
Telugu and Urdu are the principal languages spoken in Hyderabad. Telugu being the official language of Andhra Pradesh and the second largest language in India after Hindi is widely spoken here. Hyderabad has always had one of the largest Urdu speaking populations in India and the famous Osmania University there was the first Urdu medium university in India. Deccani, a dialect of Urdu and Hindi, is spoken and understood there. Both Urdu and Telugu have linguistically impacted on each other in this region. The telugu dialect spoken in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana is very distinct from the one spoken in coastal Andhra. A large percentage of the population is also well versed in English.'''
Women of all cultures and faith communities in Hyderabad typically wear either the traditional Indian dress, the sari, and increasingly the Shalwar Qamis. As a sign of public modesty, a large percentage of Muslim women in the city wear either the burqa' or the hijab. The traditional Hyderabadi garb for females is the Khara Dupatta and the Shalwar Qamis and Sherwani for males. This one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.
Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of heavy Mughal influences, traditional Andhra and Telangana cuisine. A number of restaurants have come up that serve a variety of cuisines. All the major hotels in city host one or more restaurants that are popular among city folk.
Some of the famous dishes include Hyderabadi Biryani, Chakna, Baghare Baygan, Khubani ka Mitha,Pheni a sweet vermicelli delicacy eaten during the festival of Diwali and during Ramadan, and Double ka Mitha, as well as Halim traditionally eaten by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. As many Hyderabadis travel to the Middle East in search for employment, the Halim is gaining recognition in these regions. Local chains that serve Halim and other Hyderabadi specialties in Hyderabad are Yusufain Pista House, Madinah Hotel, 555 Hotel, Café Bahar, Bawarchi, Paradise and Hyderabad House.
An Indian Mithai(sweets) shop, G. Pulla Reddy, is famous for its pure ghee sweets. Karachi Bakery near Mau'zzam Jahi Market, Nampally, is popular for making biscuits including the local Osmania biscuits. A family residing in Azeez bagh palace in the old part of the city is famous for the preparation of Badaam Ki jaali (Almond lattice confection). Other renowned joints include 'chat bhandars' like Gokul Chat near Sultan Bazar and Narsing Chat near MG Road, Hyderbadi Pickles have a distinct taste, savoured by many in India, Pakistan & Middle East the best is the mango & lime pickles. Minar pickles of Hyderabad are famous for their authentic Hyderabadi Achaar. Ram singh Chat Bhandar in Begum Bazaar are famous for their North Indian chat, which is liberally doused with spices and yogurt. Restaurant chains in the city which include The Taj Mahal, Kamat are popular.
Markets and Shopping Malls
-->Hyderabad is famous for its traditional markets (Bazaar). These markets usually consist of one or two story shops, and street vendors with carts. Few of them are:
- the Laad Bazaar, situated near Charminar,
- Sultan Bazaar at Kothi,
- General Bazaar at MG Road,
- the historical Mojamjahi Market in central town.
- Hyderabad Central
- Life Style
- Shopper's Stop
- Big Bazaar
- MPM Mall
- Minerva Complex
- Swapnalok complex
- Park Lane
- Abids--Basheerbagh--Nampally - The area has some of the biggest Jewellery shops of the Twin Cities
- Monda Market - Near RP Road is this oldest and the biggest vegetable market of the twin cities. The market deals with both whole sale and retail selling of the vegetables.
AP has rich offering of arts and crafts, all of which are available in Hyderabad. You can purchase Kondapalli toys bidri metal craft (silver inlaid on metal-copper and zinc), gun metal craft, stone carvings, wood carvings, brassware, Pembarthi sheet metal art, Nirmal art, Kalamkari art, Banjara embroidery, khadicrafts and dhurries from Eluru and Warangal. Sarees sold in hyderabad are brought in from nearby towns like Venkatagiri, Siddipet, Gadwal, Naryanpet and Dharmavaram. Pochampalli, famous for sarees and fabric handlooms, is close by and a trip to see the actual weaving is a tourist attraction in the city. One can also find sarees brought in from across India, like Kashmir, Bengal, Kanchipuram, Lucknow.
A Speciality of Hyderabad is Zardosi embroidery work (Silk thread and cord). A large collection of embroidered sarees, Lacchas (Long tops paired with long skirts and dupatta), ghagra and cholis (skirt and blouse), salwar kameez and even sandals with embroidery work are found here especially near Charminar.
Media
Hyderabad has a well-developed communication and media infrastructure. The city is covered by a large network of optical fiber cables by Reliance Telcom Company. The city's telephone service is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance Infocomm and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: BSNL, Hutch, Idea, Airtel, Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm. Several phone companies offer broadband Internet access.Radio Stations
The city has two AM and two FM radio stations, operated by All India Radio under the name Akashvani, Hyderabad. AIR has sold airtime on one of its FM channels to a company named DC-Interactive that broadcasts a show called Good Evening Hyderabad under the banner Radio Biryani. A FM radio station called FM Rainbow also broadcasts daily within the city. Newer FM radio stations, as in other metropolitan areas, are also launched in the city.
- AIR Rainbow FM 101.9 MHz
- Radio Mirchi FM 95 MHz
- Radio City FM 106.4 MHz
Doordarshan runs several terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Hyderabad Doordasrshan centre. A multitude of regional television channels broadcast from Hyderabad.
Telugu Television channels are classified as
- News channels
- ETV2, TV9, Teja News, DD News, Vissa News, Arey News
Hyderabad has about three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in English, Telugu, and Urdu. The major Urdu dailies are, The Siasat Daily (the first Urdu newspaper in the world to go [on-line]), The Munsif Daily, The Etemaad Urdu Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan, and The Daily Milap. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyoti, Andhra Bhoomi, Udayam and Andhra Prabha. The major English dailies are The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Economic Times. Besides these major newspapers, there a number of localised neighbourhood newspapers that cater to several localities. Magazines published from Hyderabad include Swati, Navya, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyoti, Vipula, Vanita and Chandamama. Movie magazines include Sitara, Siva Ranjani and Jyoti Chitra.
Tollywood
Hyderabad is the homeland of Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry, which apart from being a popular entertainment source and India's second largest film producer (after Bollywood), provides livelihood to thousands of its citizens and contributes a large amount of revenue to the local government.
Earlier, many of the Telugu films were produced in Madras. However, with improvement in infrastructure in city, and initiatives such as setting up of Ramoji Film City has changed the situation. Today not only are Telugu films made here, but even films from Bollywood are being shot in Hyderabad. Some Hindi movies have Hyderabad or subjects related to the city as the core theme, and have been shot in Hyderabad. The most recent of these include:
- Meenakshi
- Bollywood Calling
- Hyderabad blues (1 &2)
Sports and stadia
-->Sports besides cricket are popular in Hyderabad. In the inaugural Premiere Hockey League in 2005, Hyderabad Sultans won the championships. Hyderabad recently got a new cricket stadium, Visakha International Cricket Stadium, which was later renamed to Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
- Sporting Icons of Hyderabad
- *Syed Mohammad Hadi - Olympic tennis player.
- *V. V. S. Laxman - Current Indian Cricket player.
- *Mohammad Azharuddin - Former Indian Cricket team captain.
- *Pullela Gopichand - Badminton player (Winner of The All England Badminton Championship - 2001)
- *Sania Mirza - Tennis player who is the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title.
- *Saina Nehwal - Badminton player
The selection of the city as a host of the National Games resulted in a major investment to build some of the best world-class stadiums in the country. Later these stadiums played host to the Afro-Asian Games held 2003. Today the list of stadiums of international standard found in Hyderabad is large and diverse.
The earliest stadium built in the city is the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. Formerly known as Fateh Maidan, it was till recently, the city's only stadium that could conduct International cricket matches. The first cricket match was played here was on November 19, 1955. With the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal, it is unlikely that any more cricket matches will be held here.
The city also houses the Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex and the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium.
Attractions
- Charminar - the major landmark in Hyderabad with four graceful minarets.
- Falaknuma Palace - Built by Nawab Viqar al-Umra', a beautiful and stunning piece of architecture.
- Golconda Fort - located on the outskirts of the city, Golconda Fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complexes in India.
- Salar Jung Museum - houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world.
- Makkah Masjid - a stone-built mosque, immediately southwest of Charminar.
- Birla Planetarium - located in the heart of the city on the panoramic hillock of Nawbat Pahad, the Birla Planetarium is a tribute to the advances made in science and technology.
- Chilkur Balaji - Temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara. Around 23 km from Mehdipatnam. Special buses and Share Auto Rickshaws are available. It will take apprximately 3-4 Hours for Darshan of Lord on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.
- Nehru Zoological Park - among the largest in Asia.
- Husain Sagar - man-made lake that separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
- Laad Bazaar - directly to the west of Charminar, and known for its bangles.
- P.V.Ghat - The Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao, Labeled the Chanakya of modern India, he is credited to have put India on the path of reforms.
- Prasads IMAX Theatre - is the first IMAX theatre to open in South India. It was the world's biggest IMAX screen at the time of opening.
- Public Gardens of Hyderabad - one of the best laid-out gardens in the country with buildings of the State Legislature, Jubilee Hall, etc.
- Purani Haveli - The official residence of the Nizam.
- Chowmahalla Palace- It was the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors. Built in 1750 by Nizam Salabat Jung and designed along the lines of the Shah's palace in Isfahan, consists of a group of palaces each used for a specific purpose. It consists of the Khilwat, Aftab Mahal, the Tahniyat Mahal and the Durbar Hall.
- Sanghi Temple - A temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara graces apromontory overlooking Sanghi Nagar.
- Snow World - An amusement park which enables citizens of this tropical city to experience very low temperatures and snow
- Astha Laxmi Temple - A temple located in Vasavi Colony near Dilsukhnagar is the 2nd largest Laxmi temple in India.
- Wargal Saraswati Devi's Temple - A temple located 50 km from Hyderabad towards medchal highway it is mounted on a big rock, rtc buses are avail on that route
- Hyderabad Pearls - Many visitors who visit Hyderabad also take time to shop for the famous pearls and bangles sold in the city
- Madhapur - Home to the IT world of Hyderabad.